Parenthood
by 101Obsessions
Summary: When she visits Bowerstone Orphanage to donate some of her hard-earned money to the poor, Princess Rosalyn exits the shelter with a souvenir she certainly wasn't expecting... K for total obvious plot XD
1. Joining the Family

**_Okay, make that two fics XD_**

**_Mild spoilers. Sequel to A Honeymoon Cut Short, but could stand alone because you'll work out what's happening. Similar situation here, with the family side of Revolutionist Princess life. Set either just before/just after the Masquerade, haven't decided yet, but before Swift's execution._**

**_Quick summary: Princess Rosalyn (Rose for short), having run off with Elliot, gathers her courage to visit the Bowerstone Industrial Shelter once more. She can't bear to watch the children walk around in squallor, and is determined to help - income from months of gathering rent from almost every property in Albion has to go somewhere, right? Only, when Rose comes back out, she has a little souvenir she certainly wasn't expecting..._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nada except for Rosalyn and Dog. Jack is in fact one of the orphans in the game, the one I adopted, hence this story ^^_**

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><p>Rosalyn took a deep breath. She'd faced Balverines before, and had fought for her life numerous times before. But for some reason, it was the prospect of entering this building that was making her heart thump like this.<p>

Dog pushed his nose into her head, and the sudden wet and cold made her jump. Looking down, she smiled uncertainly at the boxer.

"I'm fine. I'm just...catching my breath."

The dog seemed to smile, before nuzzling her hand again. Grateful, she scratched him behind the ears.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous. I don't know what it's going to be like in there. And I might see...her again. I think I might die if I did."

Dog huffed, sitting down on the mossy stone. She smiled back.

"Okay, okay, I'm going in. Wait for me."

Taking another breath, she pushed open the doors and stepped into Bowerstone Orphanage.

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><p>It was almost worse than she'd imagined. She despaired to think how children could survive here. The walls were peeling, almost falling down, the furniture was pretty much falling apart, and there was the distinct patchwork look of people trying their best with what they had. A few drunks pushed past her, to go to the small bar on her right.<p>

She went to follow them, when the sound of a child crying caught her ears. She turned, looking into the dilapidated dining hall. A small girl, who if standing still would not reach Dog's height when he sat, was sniffling, having stumbled over a chair leg. She looked around helplessly for a parent to come and pick her up, wipe the snot from her face, kiss the grazed knee better. But this girl wasn't in the orphanage for just nothing. No parents were coming.

The girl's face crumpled, ready to let rip with a wail. Rosalyn started forward, some inner motherly instinct wanting to pick the small blonde girl up and cuddle her, tell her everything was going to be alright. She was beaten to it by an old man on the next bench, who reached out and gently tugged the girl to her feet.

"There, there, child. Upsy-daisy."

The little girl sniffled, wiping away tears on the back of a grubby hand, and smiled uncertainly up at the quiet drunk. He smiled back, before turning to his mug of cloudy beer and staring broodingly into it.

Rosalyn went to turn away, when she noticed a small boy at her side, looking up at her. His clothes were ill-fitting and dirty, and he clutched a ragged teddy-bear in one hand. His face was grubby and thin, but his eyes shone brightly.

"Are you a pirate? You look like a pirate!"

Slightly ashamed of her attire, Rosalyn quelled a blush.

"I'm not a pirate. I'm...a traveller."

He looked almost disappointed.

"Oh. I was hopin' you'd be a pirate. Pirates are cool."

However, the sad expression on his face vanished suddenly, and he beamed up at her.

"Well, you're real pretty, lady, either way."

He turned his back on her and skipped up the stairs, whistling as he went, the teddy-bear's head bashing softly against each step. The Princess watched him go, a little shocked to see someone so happy in such a terrible place.

A little shaken, Rosalyn turned her attention back to the bar. Dodging drunks slumped over on stools, she approached the bartender, who exhaustingly wiped the dull untreated wood down with a dirty cloth. Trying not to wrinkle her nose at the smell of the liquor – she'd been in sewers before, and this reek was almost as bad – and smiled at him.

"Excuse me, sir."

The bartender looked up. She saw how tried he looked – sickly pale, with his hair hanging loose around his face, which was rough and unshaven. He made a valiant attempt to appear welcoming.

"Hello, stranger. Need a bottle of beer, soothe away the pain of life?"

He blinked, appearing to notice her get-up – the soft leathers of a highwayman, something she'd never imagined to look vastly superior in quality than another's clothes, but was sadly so in this room – and looking up into her face with faint surprise.

"Beg my pardon, ma'am, but you don't seem the type to need to doss – er, stay – here."

Rosalyn smiled.

"Staying here isn't my intention. I was hoping you could tell me – where would I go to make a donation to this shelter?"

The man's eyes widened, and the barmaid behind him stopped cleaning glasses.

"Are you serious, love? No one cares about a bunch of kids and drunks."

Her smile faltered slightly. Was this what depths Logan had let the city fall to? Her smile returned, more genuine.

"Well, I do. You could call me...a concerned citizen."

The barman looked faintly embarrassed, and smiled nervously.

"Well, Linda's house is down the street. She's the one who runs the place, so she'll be happy to accept any money."

"No!"

Rosalyn bit her lip. She'd said that louder than she'd intended. As nice a woman Linda was, the Princess was loathe to meet her again. She didn't think she'd be able to look the woman in the eye. Coughing nervously, she smiled again.

"I don't want to be a bother. I just want to donate some money."

The barman scratched his chin.

"Well, there's the matron upstairs. She's good and reliable, and she lives next door to Linda. You could give the money to her."

Thanking him, Rosalyn hurriedly left before the alcohol fumes proved to be her undoing. She took the stairs gingerly, afraid they'd buckle under her if she moved too fast. The matron was easy to find, in a room crawling with small children, all playing and fighting and talking and laughing at once. Each and every one of them wore patchwork clothing that was too big for them.

The young woman in the white cap watched them tiredly, with a small smile on her face that widened when she saw she had a visitor.

"Oh, hello there, ma'am. Have you come for one of the children? Don't believe anything they say – the staff aren't Balverines, and we don't turn the children into Hobbes at midnight."

Upon noticing a newcomer, the children fell silent as one, before each bolted to their bed and hurriedly attempted to straighten themselves out in a desperate attempt to get adopted. Rose didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She smiled uncertainly.

"Actually, I was hoping you could safekeep some money for me. I wish to donate some money to this shelter, and as I hear you know the lady who runs this place?"

The young woman brightened, a warm smile across her face.

"That's mighty kind of you, love. Linda? I live right next door. Lovely girl, she is, right little ray of sunshine. She's always smiling, always helping out with the kids, always doing the dirty work, never lets anything get her down. Even when that young fiancé of hers ran off, she didn't stop smiling. She told him to go follow his heart, which is a right sight better than what I would've said, I'd've said-"

"Yes, thank you." Rose interrupted quickly. "I was wondering – would something like ten thousand gold be enough?"

The effect was quite amusing. The young woman's jaw dropped, her eyes popped, and the children started whispering amongst themselves. Rose felt someone tugging on her arm, and looked down to see the little boy from earlier. He blinked up at her curiously.

"Hello again! Is ten thou-sand a lot? Because it's got 'ten' in it, and I know ten is a lot, it's my age, so is ten thousand bigger than ten?"

The matron seemed to be having trouble speaking.

"Yes, Jack. Ten thousand is a lot bigger than ten."

A little girl called out from the bed farthest away from the door.

"Enough for meat pies?"

Rosalyn laughed softly.

"Yes, it's enough for meat pies for everyone."

The cheer that followed that sentence made tears well up in Rose's eyes, and she had to wipe them away quickly with a gloved hand. She handed over the pouch to the matron – who looked absolutely astonished, and handled the leather as though it were made of pure gold – and would have turned to leave, if Jack hadn't tugged on her sleeve again. She looked down.

The little blonde boy was beaming up at her, his dark grey eyes surrounded by rings, his hair matted and dull, dirt and grime smudged over his face and clothes, his teeth wonky, some having fallen out. To Rosalyn, he looked absolutely beautiful.

"Lady, would you like a little boy? I'd be the bestest little boy ever, I promise! You did come up to adopt me, didn't you?"

She stared. A few seconds later, she found her mouth moving automatically and saying.

"Yes, of course I did."

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><p><em><strong>Oops, Rose, I think you've bitten off more than you can chew. Not that I can blame you. I went in that building to look for chestskeys/gnomes, and came out with a kid. He was just so freakin' adorable sounding. **_

_**I also wish I could've donated money or something to the orphanage before Princess became Queen. I know that'd defeat the purpose of the 'Orphanage or Brothel' decision later on, but I really felt for these fictional, computer-sprite kids. So kudos to Lionhead Studios for making me wanna adopt one.**_

_**You know, if you stick the word 'Balverines' into Word, it won't recognise it and a message saying 'Did you mean...Ballerinas?' will come up. I lol'd SO hard when I saw that XD God, Balverine Ballerinas. I had to do a fanart of this now...**_


	2. Coming Home

**_Yay, two chapters in two days :D_**

**_You know the drill. This is the retelling of Dog and Elliot's reactions to the new member of the family._**

**_Disclaimer...read chap 1._**

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><p>Rosalyn watched numbly as her new son bounded out into the light. Jack was absolutely ecstatic – with good reason – and just watching him put a smile on her face. But she was still a little blown away by the fact she'd just taken on a child, just like that.<p>

A scream of delight met her ears when Jack spotted Dog, and he sprinted over excitedly.

"Wow, look, Mummy! It's a dog! I've always wanted a dog, but the matron said we couldn't have one, said they were dirty."

He was hugging the boxer tightly around the neck as he spoke, and Dog was taking it in good grace. However, the boxer was giving Rosalyn a look that, if it were on a human, would be somewhere between amusement and shock.

The Princess shrugged.

"I swear to Avo, I have no idea what happened. I went in there hoping to donate some money, and came out with Jack."

Dog seemed to grin at that. Jack looked up from where he was cuddling the boxer, his face amazed.

"Is this *our* dog, Mummy?"

Rosalyn nodded, and her smile widened as Jack squealed excitedly, hugging Dog even tighter.

"Yay! I get a Mummy and a dog in the same day! This is the best day ever!"

Chuckling, the young Princess put her hand on his shoulder.

"You get a Daddy, too."

She regretted saying that. Not for the happiness it caused him – the little boy looked even more beautiful when he was laughing in delight – but for her poor ears. Jack's latest squeal was almost above the human register.

With a wince, she looked out over the lawn, in the direction of the Market.

"I have no idea how he's going to react to it, though."

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><p>The journey to the family home took far longer than usual, because Jack kept squealing excitedly and running to the stalls, pointing at all the items on display. Rosalyn found herself suddenly a little short on coin after the young boy had dragged her into the toy shop and chose a toy horse, gun and sword, and afterwards, had somehow managed to convince her to buy him two meat pies.<p>

Well, it was nearly supper. And he'd never had toys before. What was a little coin?

Eventually, however, and as it began to grow dark, Jack seemed to tire of running around, or skipping alongside Dog, and slipped his fingers through Rose's, yawning.

"Can we go home now? I'd really like to see my new home, and my Daddy."

With a smile, Rosalyn closed her fingers around his own and led him towards the houses in the northern part of the market. She was fully aware she was attracting more glances than usual – the people were murmuring amongst themselves, saying how kind she was, to take a poor orphan into her home. Others didn't make the connection and merely asked the air how young she must've been when she gave birth to him. Rosalyn ignored them. Jack was squeezing her hand tight, eyes flickering between the buildings, trying to work out which one was his new home.

Finally, the two of them stopped in front of Hauteville Heights. Rosalyn could smell roast chicken through the open window – Elliot's dinner, clearly. Jack licked his lips excitedly, suddenly declaring he was still hungry. Rosalyn didn't say anything. For the second time that day, she found herself outside of a building, heart thumping, unsure of what welcome she'd receive.

Dog nudged her free hand, another symbol of comfort. She smiled at him, then pushed open the door.

"Elliot? I'm home."

Her husband's voice came from the kitchen.

"Rose! It's so good to have you back! Come in, I've got a surprise!"

Chuckling nervously, Rosa stepped inside, Jack on her heels.

"So do I!"

Elliot laughed, and she heard him moving plates around in the kitchen. Jack looked up at Rose.

"Daddy sounds nice," he said quietly, "Can I go meet him now?"

Nodding, Rose lead him into the kitchen. She opened her mouth.

"Elliot, this-"

But she never finished her sentence. Jack squealed the loudest yet, causing the man at the stove to spin around in shock to see the young boy sprinting at him. Before Elliot could react, the small blond boy had leapt up and wrapped his arms around his neck, burying his face in his chest.

"Elliot! Elliot, you're my Daddy! This is the bestest day ever!"

The young man stumbled, eyes popping. His arms automatically lifted Jack up so the young boy could hug him easier.

"Jack? Jack, kiddo, what're you doing here?"

Elliot looked up at Rose, a confused look on his face. She smiled guiltily back.

"Um, yeah. So, uh, surprise?"

Jack giggled, looking up into his new adoptive father's face.

"I'm so glad you're my new Daddy, Elliot. I missed you, we all missed you, when you left. Matron said you were a bad man, for leaving Linda, but I don't think you're a bad man. I like you a lot, Elliot, and now you're my Daddy!"

The brown-haired man chuckled, but from the shock on his face it was clear he was having trouble digesting all this. When Jack started clamouring for roast chicken, Elliot made him up a plate without any fuss, helping the boy up onto a chair and watching in stunned silence as the young boy clapped his hands and tucked in. When Jack said that Teddy had to have his own plate, Elliot obediently set a second plate on the table, spooning miniscule amounts of chicken and gravy onto it.

Rosalyn watched all this from the doorway, torn between feeling guilty and proud. It hadn't occurred to her that Elliot might be good with kids – he was faintly useless with most adults – but he'd said he'd been working at the orphanage, hadn't he? The scene before her was decidedly odd – her shy husband smiling and laughing with a grubby little boy in their sparkling kitchen – but it warmed her heart.

When Jack finished his plate (Elliot neatly whisking it, and Teddy's unfinished plate, off of the table and into the basin), he started to yawn, stretching his arms. Even Rosalyn, as inexperienced with kids as she was, knew what that meant.

With a grin, she lifted the little boy into her arms.

"Com'on, kiddo, time for bed."

Jack nodded, cuddling into her.

"Can Teddy come too? He starts to cry when he's tired."

Elliot fell into step behind Rose as she started up the stairs. His voice was quiet.

"I've got him."

Jack smiled tiredly as Rose tucked him into bed – fully clothed and filthy, but sheets could be washed and they'd have to go and find bedclothes for him. The little blonde boy giggled, stretching out.

"It's so big. And warm."

Elliot sat on the bed beside his son, smiling gently as he tucked Teddy in beside him.

"There you go. You're both warm now. We'll be right downstairs if you need us, okay, Jack?"

The boy nodded, his skinny arms suddenly reaching up to hug him.

"I love you, Elliot. Daddy."

Elliot gave him a one-armed hug back, his smile warm.

"Love you too, kiddo."

Jack laid down, managing a half-wave at Rosalyn, who stood by the door.

"Love you, Mummy. Thank you, so much. This is the best day ever..."

In no time at all, the exhausted young boy settled down. Rosalyn watched fondly as Elliot kissed the boy's forehead and blew out the candle on the bedside table. He joined Rose at the door, and together they returned to the kitchen.

Rose smiled alongside at her husband.

"You're really good at this."

Elliot grinned.

"When I worked at the shelter, it was always me and Sarah – the matron – who tucked the kids to bed at night. Most of the kids used to say they loved me, which was nice. Linda always said I had a knack with children, and that I'd be a great dad someday. I wasn't expecting it to be quite so soon, however," he said slyly, smiling at his wife as she blushed.

"Honestly, Elliot, I have no idea how it happened. I went in there today, so I could give some money towards buying the children some hot meals – as in proper food, not that junk gruel. Then this little blond kid comes up to me and he's got the cutest grin ever and the next thing I know I'm signing a sheet to say I'm Jack's new mummy."

They were in the kitchen by this time, and Rosalyn sank into a dining chair, rubbing her temples. Elliot laughed.

"Jack's like that. He can twist anyone and everyone around his little finger – I guess he took you to the toy shop, hmm?" he asked, gesturing to the parcels that Rose had left by the door. She blushed again.

"It's amazing. It was like he put a spell on me, or something. He's just so...sweet."

Her husband smiled.

"He's a good kid, a really good kid. Just the sort of son that any parents would want."

He sank into the chair beside her, the surprise finally seeming to sink in.

"Wow. We're parents."

Rosalyn laughed.

"I know!"

"I'm a *dad*. I'm Jack's dad. Wow, that sounds really...wow."

Dog, who had been curled up in the corner all this time, got to his feet, walked over to Elliot, and laid his head in his lap, big brown eyes looking up at him. Elliot smiled, scratching the boxer behind the ears.

"Thanks, Dog. It's just a bit of shock. Wow, next to this, my surprise of a box of chocolates is pretty feeble."

Rose laughed, then held out a hand for him to take. She tugged him to his feet with a smile.

"You got me chocolates? I'd say that's still a pretty good gift. Shall we share them?"

Elliot smiled shyly.

"I'd love to, darling."

A call came from upstairs.

"Can I have some too?"

Elliot giggled into his hand as Rosalyn, suppressing her own laughter, called back up.

"You're supposed to be in bed, young man!"

A pause.

"Please? Pretty please?"

Elliot and Rose looked at each other. The wandering Hero sighed.

"Okay."

"Yay! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Elliot smirked across at Rose as the thumping of running footsteps got closer. She hid her face in her hand as he remarked slyly.

"You're *really* soft, you know that?"

"Shut up, Elliot."

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><p><strong><em>Hehe. I think Princess will make a good mummy. Everytime she comes back from an adventure, she's going to spoil Jack rotten, I just know it. And Elliot makes a great dad. I just had this image that adults might think he's a little foolish, but kids adore him. The mental picture of him tucking all the orphans to bed each night makes me go *squee* inside.<em>**


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